Hey Rahul Gandhi, Gujju Food can be Healthy Too!
Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi love their Gujju goodies but they also think that khakras, mungfali (peanuts) and pickles are adding to their waistline. At least, that’s what the Congress party’s imminent leader claimed at a rally in Anjar, Gujarat last week.
To quote him, “My sister (Priyanka Gandhi Vadra) visited me last night. She observed, 'your kitchen is full of Gujarati goodies – khakra, pickles and mungfali'. So you are giving me bad habits and making me overweight".
We think that’s a strange thing to say, for khakras are among the healthier Indian snack options and a little roasted peanut doesn’t really break your diet. Though Gujarati food seems to have acquired a reputation for being fattening, preparations like khaman dhokla and bajri no rotlo can be guilt-free indulgences too.
Here are five ways in which you can prove Rahul Gandhi wrong and enjoy a healthier Gujju meal:
Add soya flour to your methi theplas: Use soya and wheat flour in a 1:2 ratio while preparing your favourite methi theplas to make them healthier. A bit of curd in the dough, instead of oil adds softness to the theplas without pumping up the calories.
Have mooli muthias as a healthy snack: Making radish tasty isn’t an easy task but the Gujaratis have nailed it with their mooli muthias. Since the muthias are steamed, they are light and you can also replace radish with bottle gourd for a variation. Get the recipe here.
Bake or steam undhiyu instead of frying: With its medley of tasty vegetables like surti papdi, purple yam, sweet potatoes and brinjal, undhiyu can be a very healthy preparation. But the frying process takes away some of its saintly aura. But you can always put it back by steaming or baking the veggies instead.
Experiment with rava and moong dal dhoklas: The traditional khaman dhokla is always a great option for a healthy snack but you can keep things interesting by making rava or moong dal dhoklas instead. Simply soak and grind the whole green gram for moong dal dhoklas and use rava for rava dhoklas.
Make khichu with jowar or nachni: The conventional rice flour khichu is in itself a healthy dish, as long as you don’t top it with too much oil. But why not make this soft and fragrant dish even more nutritious by swapping rice flour for jowar or nachni flour instead?
